Why Denmark
Why International Couples Marry in Denmark
Denmark is one of the few European countries where a couple can marry without either partner living there. That does not make it automatic, and it does not make every case simple.
No Danish residency requirement
Neither partner needs to live in Denmark, hold Danish citizenship or have any connection to the country. Couples who live in two different countries, couples working abroad on temporary contracts, and couples whose home countries make marriage between them administratively difficult all use Denmark for this reason.
What is required instead is documentation: identity, civil status, and — depending on nationality and residence — evidence of legal entry into or stay in Denmark or the Schengen area. Your case is assessed against those requirements, not against a residency rule.
One national authority, one documented procedure
Marriage applications from international couples are handled centrally by The Danish Agency of Family Law. The requirements are published, the process is written down, and the decision is made on documents rather than on interviews in most straightforward cases.
The ceremony itself is then performed by a Danish municipality. These are two separate stages, run by two separate bodies, and they have separate timelines. Much of the confusion couples arrive with comes from treating them as one step.
Approval is a decision of The Danish Agency of Family Law. Ceremony dates and times are decided by the municipality. We prepare and present your case as accurately as possible; we do not decide the outcome and cannot promise one.
A civil ceremony that is recognised in many countries
A Danish marriage certificate is a civil document issued by a Danish municipality, and can usually be used abroad once it has been legalised — with an apostille where the receiving country accepts one, or through consular legalisation where it does not.
Recognition is decided by the receiving country, not by Denmark and not by us. If your marriage needs to be registered in a specific country for immigration, tax or family law purposes, check that country's requirements before you set a date, and tell us about it in your assessment so we can factor it into the paperwork.
An inclusive legal framework
Denmark has performed same-sex marriages since 2012, and the application procedure is the same regardless of the genders of the two partners. Couples of different nationalities, faiths and family situations are handled through the same civil process.
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